Musical Medley
by Miss Pianista
Summary: Composing music has always been easy for Jake... even when it has to be behind his father's back, who's convinced Jake is practicing the violin. But getting a girl to notice him, apparently, isn't. For some dumb reason, he has found himself helping Amy get Ian to notice her, because for an even dumber reason, she likes the conceited violinist.
1. Let the Medley Begin

You can create any kind of feeling with most instruments, but with the violin… it's different. It's as if you _live _those feelings –or at least for me. That is probably why the violin became a part of me ever since I turned four. And of course, there's also the fact that the violin is probably the only thing my dad and I will ever agree on. Since it had been his dream to play the violin when he was younger, I felt proud of living his dream. I do admire my dad very much, after all. Sadly, though, there are times when father and son don't agree with each other. And disappointingly, that happened to me.

When I turned ten, my uncle took me to a store specialized for musical materials. I'd never been to one, so I was pretty impressed. But what most stuck to me was the conductor I saw in that shop. He was looking for a new baton, and I remember how I curiously gazed at him as he tried all of them. The way he held them, the way he swung them around… it reminded me of the way I felt with a violin bow. So after the man left with a new baton in tow, I began to do the same as he had. I can still remember the feeling that bubbled inside me as I first held the baton. As soon as I swung it, I could already hear millions of instruments begin to play in my ears. Ever since then, I felt as if the violin was just a hobby for me –directing and composing was what I was born for. And that feeling never passed away with the years. I began composing my own pieces, and even when I entered high school, I still pretended to be a conductor by swinging my violin bow around.

Unfortunately, my dad didn't feel like I should become a composer. He was all set on I being a worldwide famous violinist. Like I mentioned before, he saw his dream be fulfilled through me. And any other kid would've fought until the end to be able to do what she or he would've wanted to. But I didn't. My dad was like a hero to me, and I wasn't about to disappoint him by leaving the violin. So I kept practicing said instrument. I kept practicing to such extent, that I managed to convince my dad that I had left all my wishes of being a composer aside. He even enrolled me in Boston University of Music as an aspiring violinist. But unlike his thoughts, I never gave up being a composer. I still composed every single night, and I still pretended to be a conductor every morning.

Which was why I was walking down the piano hallways that afternoon. There was a competition being held near the end of the school term around the country. We had to compose a duet, and whoever did the best job, was awarded a scholarship to attend a German university for composers and conductors. I was convinced that my dad would finally accept my goal if I proved to him I could be successful at it. I was so set on it, that I'd even begged Ian Kabra to play the violin for my duet when he was in an extremely bad mood.

"Did you hear?" a young student asked her friend.

"Hear what?"

"About the Ian Kabra incident."

"Oh. My God. Of course I did!"

I chuckled as I continued my way. Ian Kabra was known for three things: his good looks, his incredible talent with the violin, and his extremely bad temper. Our college lasts four years, which are regarded as four levels. Thanks to his talent, Ian was the first student in history to skip the entire third level and pass to the fourth and final level, where I was. However, that day, thanks to his temper, he became the first student in the history of the university to be pushed down a level. Many people are arguing that it wasn't fair, since he deserved to skip a grade. But after hurling your school materials and violin bow at your teacher's face because he corrected you, especially if it's proud teacher, being pushed down a level by the excuse of immaturity wouldn't be so unexpected.

A sad but well-played melody emerged through the hallways. I stopped for a while, listening. But after a few seconds, I concluded that whomever was playing couldn't keep up with Ian's pace, so I kept walking.

Ian was pretty mad about it after he heard the news. He even threatened to sue. But Mr. Campbell, the victim of Ian's mood swings, wasn't even fazed –which angered the rich boy even more. I grimaced as I remembered his poisonous face. Even though I'm a martial arts expert, I'm still quite proud to have spoken to Ian in a bad time for him. The fact that he accepted to participate in my duet made me even prouder. After all, there'd already been rumors that he had knocked down kids who had bothered him when he had been in a bad mood. And not just did I escape without a scratch, but he accepted to be in my duet. Now, I only had to search for a good pianist to play with him, which was harder than it sounded.

"Mr. Rosenbloom, it's a surprise to see you here," Mr. Lowe said.

I smiled at him. "As you know, I'm looking for a pianist for my violin and piano duet."

"Yes," Mr. Lowe replied. "I heard you managed to book Ian Kabra. Congratulations."

My smile grows. "Thanks."

Mr. Lowe used to be my music teacher back in middle school. He got promoted to a job in the university, teaching aspiring pianists, so I then saw him nearly everyday on campus.

Mr. Lowe pointed at the end of the hallways. "Keep walking straight ahead. You'll find what you're looking for."

I gazed curiously at him, which he returned with a knowing smile. His blue eyes were mischievously glinting. "Trust me."

He patted my back before leaving.

I decided to follow his advice. After all, Mr. Lowe had always had a great ear for music. And he'd definitely heard Ian play before, so he might've known which pianist could keep up with the twenty-one-year-old.

As I began to reach the end of the hallway, a piano melody began to reach my ears. Youthful, heart-warming, and lively were the first words that came into my mind as I stood there, enjoying the melody. I closed my eyes, already imagining it weaving with Ian's part in my composition. The piano part in my piece was supposed to emit the same feelings that that one was.

I finally reached the door, and slowly push it open. My eyes instantly landed on the green-eyed girl playing the piano in front of me. As her fingers pushed down the piano keys, she looked as if she was made to play the piano. Her face was bright, and it seemed to connect with the piece.

However, it all stopped once her eyes locked with mine. She suddenly stopped, as she sat straighter.

"Oh," was the first thing she said to me.

"I'm sorry," I began. "I-"

"No, it's okay," she cut in, light-heartedly. She glanced at the clock in the wall in front of her, grimacing. "Oh, God. It's already thirty past one. I must've kept you waiting. I'm so sorry."

"What?" I murmured.

She stood up, recollecting her stuff. "This always happens when I reserve this room. I only ask for an hour, and I end up using two."

"You don't seem to-"

"Don't worry, don't feel as if you're kicking me out," she said, smiling. "I'm used to it. By the way, are you new? I've never seen you."

"I'm not new," I answered. "I'm not a piano student."

Her eyes narrowed in curiosity. "Huh?"

I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. "I think it's worth explaining over a cup of coffee."

The girl tilted her head, clearly confused. "Uh…

I stretched out my hand. "I'm Jake. Jake Rosenbloom."

The girl hesitantly took it. "Amy Cahill. You were saying something about explaining it to me…?"

"Yes. I'm a last year student in violin," I explained. "And I would love it if you could play the piano for me. It's for a project."

Her lips curled up in a smile. "You want me to play the piano for your project? Really?"

I nodded. "As I said, I'd rather explain it over a cup of coffee."

"Of course," she replied. "I have the entire next hour free, so it wouldn't be bothersome."

"That's good," I said, grinning.

* * *

**I'm a huge Amian fan, but I'm also turning to the Jamy ship. And seeing how very little Jamy multi-chaps there were, I decided to add my own :) I'm a first-timer at this, but I still hope it didn't have many mistakes. Thanks for reading!**


	2. The Melody of Rejection

"So you aunt doesn't approve of you playing the piano?" I asked the girl next to me.

Amy shook her head, taking a sip of her vanilla-flavored coffee before continuing her tale. "Which is why when I explained to her about my wish to major in music, she almost dropped me off at a rehabilitation center."

I chuckled, but Amy was grimacing.

"I'm not lying," Amy informed me. "She actually thought she could put me there for 'excessive amount of internet site influence', even though the only 'internet site' I really use is Fan Fiction and sometimes Facebook."

"Fan Fiction?" I repeated, not familiarized with such a site.

Amy nodded. "I'm a bookworm, and one that's not usually satisfied with the ending of my reads or feels like there should've been more of it. And that's a really bad combination. Luckily, in Fan Fiction, people can publish their ideas and either write a totally AU story, a small moment they wished to have seen in the book, an alternate way to end an event…"

"What is AU?" I asked.

Amy glanced at me, smiling after a few seconds. "Alternate Universe. Explaining Fan Fiction to you will be a bit complicated right now, so I'll owe it to you for another time. Meanwhile, I'll just continue my oral autobiography. How's that?"

I grinned, looking down at the mug of coffee in my hands.

"Well, the doctors in there obviously did not allow it… thank God," Amy said. "But she was still pretty mad. And I was about to drop the piano off, because I find it hard to defy my authorities. However, my former au pair, Nellie, came along."

"And she told you you'd be able to move into her apartment in here if you pursued your dreams," I finished for her, since I'd already heard that part of the story.

Amy nodded. "Glad you were paying attention."

I glanced at her, placing my hand on top of her head and ruffling strands of hair.

Amy freed her hair, giggling. "What was that for?"

I shrugged, taking a sip of my coffee. Honesty, I usually do that with the people who I feel close to (I won't tell her that, of course). Surprisingly, even though I'd only talked with her for an hour, I already felt like Amy and I have known each other for years. Especially since both of our families didn't really approve of our ambitions.

"I still can't believe you only began piano lessons when you were seventeen," I commented. "By the way you play, I'd expect that you'd been learning for your entire life."

A light blush crept on her cheeks as she modestly looked down, and I couldn't help but smile. She had the same effect on you that a bright and happy musical piece has –she makes you feel much better about everything.

"Now, I believe Ian's supposed to be around here," I told her, glancing around one of the college's building's front yard. The violinist had told us to meet him in front of the composer's hallways entry. Apparently, he had a close friend who was majoring on becoming a composer and usually hung around those areas.

At the mention of Ian, a nervous look settled on Amy's eyes. I guessed that maybe she was intimidated by him, since no one at the school was oblivious to his abilities. Little did I know how wrong I was.

"Ian, are you hinting what I'm thinking you are?" a girl inquired.

Amy and I both turned around in unison, pinpointing the area from which the sound was coming from.

"What would that be?" I heard Ian ask.

I begun to walk toward the end of the front wall, and Amy followed behind. Once I reached it, I quickly spotted Ian leaning on the side of the building's wall. There was a redhead in front of him, looking as if she'd just swallowed an entire lemon.

"That you want me to go out with you," she answered bluntly. She rolled her eyes. "I already told you –I'm too focused on my plans to be in a relationship. Besides, I don't want to ruin our friendship."

I was about to call out for him, but Amy held my arm. I turned to look at her, to which she simply responded by placing a finger on her bow-shaped lips.

"What would be the difference?" Ian countered dully. "Just like we've always done, we'd be going to cafes, libraries, music shops… except that maybe, we'd be holding hands."

"Which is exactly what I don't want," the redhead told him. "The idea of holding hands with you for a long period of time has never been appealing to me."

I grimaced. _Ouch._ As strong as he might be, Ian was probably pretty bummed right then. And even though he didn't show it, his usually _I'm-Better-Than-You_ look was replaced by utter disappointment and embarrassment.

Suddenly, _Shake it Out_ by Florence and the Machine rang out.

My face paled as a red-faced Amy took out her phone. Ian glanced at our way, and so did the redhead, but we were quick to turn on our backs. As Amy began to shut her phone off, Ian began to follow us.

We'd been caught as witnesses of Ian Kabra's first rejection.

"Excuse me, were you two just _eavesdropping_ on our conversation?" he asked in his British accent.

Amy glanced at me, silently asking me what was our next step.

I simply motioned with my eyes at the door, signaling to simply keep walking without saying anything.

"Hey!" Ian sternly called out.

We quickened our pace as we reached the door. However, a group of students appeared in front of us, reaching to a halt once they spotted us.

"Whoa!" the guy said, nearly dropping his books.

Amy and I turned around, trying to find a quick escape.

However, as soon as Amy did that, she bumped into something –more specifically, someone. And that was Ian, whose shirt was now stained with all of Amy's coffee.

The twenty-year-old looked embarrassed, astonished, shocked, and everything along the lines of those feelings as her mouth dropped open. "That was not supposed to happen."

"And what are you planning to do now, huh?" Ian barked. "Stand there with your mouth wide open like a fool, when my favorite shirt is getting stained? What's done is done, and you are gonna have to find a way to fix this."

"Ian," I said, stepping into the conversation.

His eyes landed on me, and his brow furrowed. Realization dawned in his eyes. After gazing at Amy and back at me, he began to shake his head, burrowing his face in his hands. "Please don't tell me that this… this _bird brain_ is going to be my partner for your duet."

I glanced at Amy before pressing my lips together. "Sort of."

The redhead patted Ian's back. As the boy turned to look at her, his facial expressions instantly softened.

"I'll get going," she stated. Before leaving, she looked down on us.

Once she was out of sight, Ian's gaze returned to us.

"I'm so sorry," Amy breathed out, her face still flushed.

"Sorry won't cut it," he hissed. "Especially since I'll be having to see your annoying face for the next few months."

Amy was at loss of words.

"Honestly, she said she was sorry," I told him.

He glared at him. "Shut up, Rosenbloom. This was my _favorite_ shirt."

Amy was about to say something, but Ian interrupted her.

"Stop. Apologizing," he ordered.

I wanted to roll my eyes at his immature behavior. Maybe Mr. Campbell should've pushed him down to kindergarten instead. But since I needed his talent, I decided to keep it peaceful.

"What can she do to apologize?" I asked.

"Stay away from my sight," Ian replied, before stomping away.

* * *

**I just wanted to thank you for the reviews! I honestly thought that I was one of three people who shipped Jamy in here, haha :) I hope you enjoyed this one!**


	3. The Start of a Romance Rhapsody

"You're gonna be his personal maid?" I snapped, staring at Amy with rage in my eyes.

Amy looked down uncomfortably. "Just in school… and it'll only last two weeks."

"What were you-" I abruptly stopped my angry tone. I wasn't mad at her, I was mad at Ian. I closed my eyes, sighing. "Amy, I know he told you he didn't want to see you anymore. And if you're worried about the duet, then don't. Even Ian knew he was exaggerating."

Amy looked away, biting her lower lip. "I know… it's… it's just… I don't know, I felt bad for staining his favorite shirt with coffee."

I stared at her blankly. "It was just a shirt."

Amy shrugged, not meeting my gaze.

I pressed my lips together, watching her with concern. That idiot was going to make her run impossible errands for him for two weeks, and all because we saw him getting rejected. I shook my head. He wasn't mad because of a simple shirt, he was just angry that we'd seen his pride getting hurt.

"Do whatever you want, Amy," I told her. "Just don't let him ask too much from you. I don't want you fainting by the end of the week because of his stupid errands."

Amy's lips slightly turned upwards. "After living with Aunt Beatrice for nearly my entire life… I think running a few errands for Ian won't be so bad. Besides, I always wanted to get to know him."

I frowned, taken aback. She wanted to get to know him?

"After all, he's the reason why I'm playing the piano," Amy finished, now smiling. There was a faraway look in her eyes, and a pleasant red settled on her cheeks.

I blinked.

It couldn't be that… she liked him, could it? She seemed too smart to like such a jerk.

And then I processed what she said last.

"He is the reason why you play the piano?" I asked.

Amy opened her mouth to answer, when her phone beeped. Taking it out, she blinked as she inspected the screen.

"Looks like Ian already needs my assistance," Amy told me, still gazing at the screen. "He needs coffee."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. I was obviously not pleased with the idea.

"I'll see you later, then," Amy said with a smile. "It's our first practice today, isn't it?"

I nodded, though I wasn't in the mood to see Ian anymore –even though two days had already passed since the incident.

"I can't wait to play your composition," she continued.

My lips curled upwards, but not into a full smile.

"Good luck with your first test, by the way."

I raised my eyebrows, slightly dazed. "Huh?"

Amy giggled. "I heard Mr. Campbell is holding this year's first violin evaluation… even though it has only been two weeks since classes begun. But well, I guess you already learnt something that he wants to test you on…"

"He just wants to see how good we are," I explained, smiling. "Thanks."

Amy patted my arm, handing me one final smile before leaving.

* * *

It could be slightly rushed, the distrust between Ian and Amy could show through the piece, and there was still a lot to polish. But hearing them play my piece assured me that I had made the right choice by choosing those two.

However, that feeling completely disappeared whenever Ian abruptly stopped every second to correct Amy. Not even I, who knew the piece better than the back of my hand, heard the "mistakes" Ian spotted. So I concluded that he was probably trying to take out his anger on her.

"Are you distracted or something?" Ian asked, furiously dropping his violin bow.

Amy was about to answer, but Ian held up his hand to silence her.

"You are, aren't you?" Ian scoffed. He rolled his eyes. "I already told you. If you don't follow my pace, the whole thing will sound off. And how are you going to follow my pace if your head's in the clouds?"

"I'll try my best next time," Amy murmured, clearly not pleased.

"Thank you," Ian replied.

I crossed my arms. "Ian… I know you're a perfectionist-"

"A good trait in a musician," Ian mused, gazing at his violin.

"But the piece won't ever sound perfect in the first day of practice," I continued, ignoring his comment. "Especially because we've only been able to cover the first stanza thanks to your abrupt stops."

"This is your future in game, isn't it?" Ian coolly asked. "I'm just trying to help you out the most I can."

_You're trying to take revenge on us for witnessing your rejection_, I wanted to say. But not wanting any more problems, I kept it in. "Just continue playing."

Ian smirked, and motioned Amy to get ready. However, as soon as Amy began to play, a scowl settled on Ian's face, and I knew what was coming.

"Ian-"

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" I heard Ian question Amy.

Amy stopped playing, her lips curling down.

"It's quite obvious that you started playing the piano late," he said, walking toward Amy.

"Ian, I'm the one who's supposed to critique. And I can't tell you in what I want you to get better if you keep-"

I abruptly stopped, my eyes widening.

Ian placed himself behind Amy, and hinted as if he was going to wrap his arms around her. Instead, he placed his hands on top of hers.

"This is how you do it," he said, his tone softer.

Amy's face was red.

Surprisingly, he gently began to push down the piano keys, producing my melody.

An idea settled on my mind.

My piece was light-hearted and slightly romantic. Which is why the distrust between those two could ruin the entire thing. But if they began to date…

I mentally kicked myself. How was I going to make Amy date such a jerk just for my sake?

But if it happened, it would work. Their melodies would weave perfectly if there was a romantic trust between them. And they looked good together.

Amy's eyes were bright and a small smile was on her lips as Ian's hands guided hers.

As it seemed, I would actually be doing her a favor if I helped her get a date with Ian.

Ian suddenly stopped, as if realization of what he was doing snapped in him. Gazing at how close they both were, his cheeks turned red and he quickly jumped back.

"Uh," he began, slightly dazed. He regained his composure. "I hope you paid attention. Now, let's begin."

I inspected Ian's flushed face.

Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get them together.

* * *

**As you can see, the action's about to start soon ;) Since it's already school time for me, I don't know how often my updates will come. But don't worry, a week won't pass without me updating at least once. Thanks for reading!**


	4. A Musical Proposal

Amy entered the café, smiling once she spotted me.

I wasn't sure if she would be after hearing my proposal, though.

I knew that setting her up with Ian was very egoistical of me. In fact, I was acting as a bigger jerk than Ian. Which was why, after a long night of thoughts, I decided to tell her straight away the next day. If she didn't want to, then I'd stop. If she did… then not only I would benefit from this, but she would, too. After all, what other thing could agreeing to be set up with a guy mean other than liking him?

"Hey," she greeted, sitting down on the chair across from me.

I smiled back at her. "Hey. Having a nice day?"

Amy pressed her lips together, tilting her head. "One of my teachers is mad at me for not being able to get a piece right after the second time trying it… but it could be worse, such as having _Ian_ there."

I grimaced. That practice two days ago was a preview of hell for Amy. Unless she liked Ian, of course.

"Here are your orders," the waitress announced, setting down two mugs of coffee in front of each of us.

Amy smiled once she spotted hers. "Vanilla-flavored… you still remember it's my favorite."

"It's for the one you spilled all over Ian," I told her.

She grimaced but still broke into a laugh.

I grinned, a thing that was hard not to do around Amy.

Amy took a sip of her beverage. "So… what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

I looked away, the back of my neck slightly burning. "Well… it's… it's slightly complicated."

Amy sat up straighter, the bright look in her green eyes disappearing. "Is something wrong?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "No. Of course not… though I'm afraid it might be…"

Amy's lips curled down. "Oh… you don't have to tell me if-"

"It involves you," I cut in, pressing my lips together.

Amy blinked.

I sighed. "I don't know how to say it, so I'll just-"

"It's okay if you didn't like my piano skills," Amy interrupted. "I did start late and playing with a guy like Ian… I must've looked like a rookie trying to play a piece composed for advanced pianists."

"Amy-"

"You don't have to apologize," Amy continued, shaking her head. "After you told me your story on how you've always wanted to be a composer, I couldn't possibly stand in your way if I'm a bad pianist. I mean, if I play bad, then that beautiful piece you composed will sound quite the opposite-"

"You're an amazing pianist," I stated. "And I would never ever want to kick you out of the duet. In fact, I think I would choose you over Ian any day."

Amy's lips slightly curled upward. "Really?"

I nodded, smiling.

A blush settled on her cheeks.

"Which is what I want to talk to you about this afternoon," I continued in a more serious tone. "Ian."

Amy looked uncomfortable. "You don't have to kick him out because of his perfectionism. He was right, I wasn't playing quite well that day. Primarily because I was distracted…"

"With him?" I asked.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Huh?"

"Were you distracted by Ian?" I repeated.

Amy bit her lower lip, looking down at her mug. Her shoulders were tense, now. "I don't know what you mean…"

"Do you like him?" I asked, not aware that I might've been sort of invading her personal thoughts at that time. After all, I'd only met her for a week.

Amy's eyes widened. "W-what?"

"You can tell me," I urged. "I won't tell anyone…"

Amy giggled nervously. "W-why are you asking me that?"

I shrugged. "Because I've got a proposition for you."

Amy looked completely baffled. "A proposition?"

I nodded. "But I won't tell it to you unless you tell me if you like Ian or not."

Amy looked like she was between a knife and a wall. Even now, I am surprised she hadn't gotten mad at me back then. Looking back at my actions, I had been a prying jerk. But Amy has always been way too nice for her own good, so, of course, she simply bore with me patiently.

There was a long silence as the girl sat there, swirling her spoon in her coffee.

"It would be hard not to be attracted to him," Amy quietly answered.

My shoulders slumped down.

"And it would be hard not to like a guy who introduced you to the piano," Amy finished.

I felt a pang on my chest, but I shook it off. It was probably nerves –after all, I still didn't know if she would be angered at my proposition. But before I went into detail, I still had another question in my mind that I wished to be answered.

"He introduced you to the piano?" I asked. "Ever since you mentioned that, I've been wondering about it quite a lot."

I was surprised to see a smile on her face.

"I'll tell you the story, then," she began.

I nodded.

"When I was sixteen, Aunt Beatrice wanted me to play the violin," Amy said. "As you already know, my parents passed away in a house fire when I was seven… and the biggest mystery in my life is still why she took my brother and I in."

I felt a ghost of a smile on my face.

"And as you also know, surprisingly, my aunt favored my brother big time. Since he was good at math, she thought he'd inherited it from her, because she was good at it, too," Amy explained.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I didn't know that part of the story."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Really? Then you probably don't know why she dislikes me."

I was smiling from ear to ear now. "And why is that?"

Amy smiled back. "Because I was good at history, and she flunked at it when she was in school."

I laughed, and soon, Amy was laughing along. After the laughter died down, Amy continued her tale. "Well… when I turned sixteen, she was tired of me being a 'failing disappointment', as she put it. So she thought that I should enroll in violin lessons, since she was a violinist when she was younger. She even played a piece for me… though, I'm not sure if it was lack of practice or what, but she wasn't so good at it…"

I shook my head, chuckling.

"But well, she made me get into this afterschool violin classes a friend of hers gave," Amy informed me. "And after three weeks of learning, I learned that I sucked as big as my aunt did at it."

"I wonder how happy your aunt was about that," I mused sarcastically.

"Oh, she was very happy," Amy answered, her tone wrapped around sarcasm. "So happy, she grounded me for it."

My eyes widened. "Really?"

Amy nodded. "However, I had a very considerate teacher. I know she would've suggested I tried another instrument, but she was an old friend of Aunt Beatrice's, so she probably knew how stubborn she is. Instead, she handed me a tutor. Who was none other than Ian."

"No way," I chuckled.

Amy nodded, smiling. "He had moved to Boston a few years back. And as you already might've guessed, he nearly had a heart attack the first time he heard me play."

"It would be weird if he hadn't," I commented.

"And it would've been even weirder if he hadn't tried to get me kicked out of violin lessons. As he put it, it would be an 'offense to the dignity of violin if I kept playing it'."

I chuckled, shaking my head. It was quite a predictable move from Ian.

"Since those classes weren't only for violin, we spent the entire afternoon searching for an adequate instrument for me," Amy told me. She placed her fingers under her chin. "I still remember we played the guitar, the drums and I think the trombone."

I grinned, silently laughing.

"There were still many other instruments to play, since the place was sort of like a music academy," Amy said. "But when I spotted the piano, I went straight toward it. My mom had taught me how to play a song from _The Sound of Music_ when I was younger, so I began playing it. And…"

I gazed at her expectantly.

"Ian just stood there, looking at me with a pensive look on his face," Amy said. "And then he told me I looked lovely playing the piano. I was never sure if he just did it to make me think I actually did and drop out from the violin, or if he meant it, but still… I began playing the piano and, for some reason, I started to like him that afternoon. He might've been a jerk and a snob, but still. I just had a feeling there was something else to him. And I still do."

"I'm hoping you didn't enter this college to follow him," I joked.

Amy stared blankly at me, her eyes wide.

My eyes widened, and I gulped. "You entered-"

Amy broke out laughing. "Of course I didn't! After all, Ian moved away when I began senior year. How was I supposed to know to which college he wanted to attend?"

I was clearly relieved. "That was a good one. For a second I thought he was the reason why you were here."

Amy smiled. "He slightly is… after all, he got me to play the piano."

I grinned. "So I still have to thank him, don't I?"

Amy grinned, shrugging with one shoulder.

"Oh," I began. "By the way, is there a reason why your aunt doesn't approve of you playing the piano?"

"She sucked at it when she was my age," she replied. "But at least she kept paying for the lessons."

"Ah… your Aunt Beatrice is a case, isn't she?"

"A big and mysterious one," Amy chuckled. After a few seconds, her eyes turned serious. "By the way, what was the proposal?"

I looked down, pursing my lips. "Well…"

Amy silently listened.

Better get it out quickly. "I thought it would be good to set you and Ian up. You know, to go on a date."

Amy's eyes widened, but she still kept silent.

"The way he helped you with my piece two days ago… it made me think," I paused. _Should I tell her the real reason behind my plan or should I lie to her?_ That was the question that settled on my mind that very same minute. But after gazing at her astonished face, I realized what a selfish jerk I was being. Shaking my head, I shrugged. "I wanted to set you two up so my piece would sound better. After all, feelings show through music, and my piece is slightly romantic. But I don't think I want to do that anymore."

Amy gazed at me.

"I now realize it was a very stupid thing of me to do," I finished off.

I looked down, slightly embarrassed to look at Amy.

But then I felt her hand on my forearm.

"May I ask you something?" she said in a soft tone.

I nodded, still dazed with disappointment in myself.

"Were you planning to do it even if I didn't like Ian?"

I was quick to answer. "No, of course not."

Amy smiled. "Then I'll do it."

The question took me aback. She was going to do it? "Huh?"

"I like him, so I wouldn't be bothered," Amy began. "But there are two problems: one, that redhead from before, and two, the fact that he probably doesn't like me. So, you have to promise not to feel bad for me if it doesn't work. Because, quite obviously, there's a chance it won't."

I was surprised. "You are going to do it even if Ian might never like you back?"

"How will I know that if I never try?" she answered. "I always wanted to date him, so maybe now's the chance."

I smiled. "That's… wow. I don't think I'd try to get someone to like me even if I knew they might never feel the same."

"I never thought I would until today, too" Amy answered. She smiled. "So… to begin, I'm guessing this is the part where I have to completely change, right? And since you're a boy… you might know on what. So don't think you'll offend me in any way once you give me your constructive criticism."

Amy's eyes were expectant.

I still couldn't believe she'd accepted. And the fact that she was willing to change for Ian was also slightly unbelievable. I inspected her. Truth be told, I didn't see anything she could change in. She had an amazing attitude, and any boy would be lucky to date her. I continued gazing at her face. I'd never really taken a good look at it before. But now that I did, I realized how pretty she was. _Very_ pretty.

I cleared my throat, blushing. "I… I don't think Ian and I are similar in any way, because I don't see anything that would make him not like you."

* * *

**I'm sorry for the late update... _but_ in my defense, I've been sleeping at 12 a.m. everyday of the week doing homework. Yes, my teachers are _that_ obsessed with their assignments. Hopefully, though, the length of this chapter will make up for my delay. **


	5. The Song of the Enemy

I was anxiously waiting at the café. Every now and then, I glanced at the clock, hoping that some time had passed. But only seconds went by. I looked down at my untouched coffee, wondering with annoyance why time seemed to pass by so slowly when you needed it to fly by.

"You're Amy's new boyfriend, aren't you?"

I looked up. Two identical redheads were staring at me with bored, green eyes. At some time, they'd managed to seat across from me without letting me find out.

"Not her boyfriend," I replied, slightly smiling. "We're friends."

"But you wish to be her boyfriend," the one in the right said, smirking.

I didn't know what to reply, so I simply chuckled nervously.

"Oh, let him be Ned," the one in the left told his twin. "He's obviously in denial."

_Denial?_ I frowned, shaking my head. These guys didn't even know what they were talking about.

"We've seen you a lot around Amy," Ned informed me. He nudged at his brother. "Right, Ted?"

Ted nodded. He took a sip of my coffee. "And being the smart guys we are, we came to the conclusion that you like her."

I stared blankly at them before cracking into laughter.

The twins simply gazed at me.

"You've got it all wrong," I began. "Amy is my pianist for a contest I'm entering, which is why you see me with her often. But we don't like each other."

Ned sighed, shaking his head. "You love-struck people are way too complicated."

"Well, like her or not," Ted said. "We've come here to warn you."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "What?"

"We've been friends with Amy since we were in elementary," Ned began.

"And long story cut short," Ted continued for his brother. "If you hurt her, you'll get it from us."

I honestly wanted to laugh. Those _twigs_ were threatening me? And worst of all, they thought _I'd_ hurt Amy. "You should be saying that to Ian Kabra."

Ned rolled his eyes. "Please, that British idiot will never get a chance with Amy. Trust us, we've got a higher IQ than you and the Kabra snob combined."

Ted stood up. "That is all."

Ned followed his brother. "Nice meeting you… uh…"

By the way they'd suddenly appeared, telling me how they'd practically stalked Amy and I, I'd expect them to know my name. "Jake Rosenbloom."

The twins gave me a court nod before heading out.

I couldn't help but ponder on what a weird bunch those two were. After recognizing their names, I'd realize they were the famous Starling twins, known for their intelligence and skill with the guitar. But now meeting them, they were… well, weirder than I thought. The fact that Amy was friends with them also seemed quite rare. Whenever I thought about who her friends might be, those two never came to my mind.

My phone buzzed. Hoping it was Amy, I quickly took it out… only to be let down. It was my younger stepbrother, Atticus, hoping that I had taken his Latin book.

_Of course not! I don't even know Latin,_ I replied, chuckling at my brother's way of thinking.

I glanced at the clock once more and frowned once I realized an hour had gone by since I'd been there… and Amy hadn't shown up. I tried to reassure myself that nothing had happened to her, that she was with Ian. But I still couldn't help the urgent glance at the café's glass doors, which reflected the dark night.

That day had been the first in our plan to get Ian to like Amy. I knew for a fact that every Wednesday, Ian stayed late practicing the violin in the room where we practiced our pieces. I'd told Amy to go there, pretending to want to practice her piece, and "accidentally" bump into Ian. She'd then say that she should better leave, since she didn't want to bother Ian. And Ian, of course, had to have a bit of gentleman manners in him, so he would either, a) tell her to stay or, b) offer to take her back to her au pair's apartment (Who would let a girl walk all alone at night, after all?).

For Amy's sake, I was hoping that it had been option a. After all, we'd agreed on her sending me a message to tell me she'd gotten to Nellie's house.

I bit my lower lip. When I was about to take a sip from my coffee, I realized that one of those twins had tasted it. I pushed it away, shaking my head.

"Hello."

I looked up, surprised to find it was the redhead that rejected Ian. She was brightly smiling down at me, holding to cups of coffee.

"Uh… hey," I answered, smiling back.

She gestured at one of the mugs in her hands. "I saw that the Starlings tasted your coffee, so I thought you'd like another one."

I was taken aback by the girl's action. "Wow. Thanks." I took it away from her hands. Not knowing what any other way to thank her, I motioned at the seat across from mine. "Would you like to take a seat?"

"Actually, yes," the girl answered. "I wanted to talk to you."

I nodded as she sat down. "Well, I've got more than enough spare time in my hands."

The redhead grinned, stretching out a hand. "I'm Sinead. Sinead Faux-Stupide*. A long last name, I know, but you get used to it."

I grinned. "You've had it your entire life, of course you would. So… what did you want to talk about?"

Sinead looked down, smiling with embarrassment. "I'm sort of ashamed to say it, but… Ian."

I nodded. "I'm listening."

"I heard he's a violinist for your contest?" she asked, taking a sip from her hot chocolate.

"Yes," I replied.

Sinead chuckled. "I wonder how you managed to do that… but well, the effort to get him into your team must've paid off. How good is he?"

"Very," I answered, smiling. "But you should know that, already."

Sinead shrugged. "Yeah… I was just wondering what weak points you see in him."

I thought the question was weird, but I ignored it. "Not really. He's excellent."

"Oh, come on," Sinead coaxed. "He's gotta have something that you're not quite fond of."

_His attitude._

_The way he treats Amy._

_The fact that he likes Amy._

I mentally kicked myself. Where had that last thought come from?

"Well, I guess it would be his attitude," Jake told her. "If one of the competitors got him mad at the time of the contest… I'm not sure how he'd react."

Sinead nodded. "I see."

The café's bells jingled.

I turned around, and my eyes brightened once I spotted Amy.

They darkened when I realized Ian was holding her wrist.

Ian spotted Sinead, and he instantly dropped Amy's arm (which seemed to bother her).

"You're finally here," I told Amy, standing up. I pulled up a chair from an empty table. I signaled the waiter. "She's here!"

"One vanilla coffee coming up," the waiter told me with a knowing smile.

Amy smiled at me, impressed, as the waiter handed her a mug. "You had it prepared for me?"

I only smiled, proud of the fact that I'd impressed her. Not because I liked her… but because I was thankful to her for joining my team, so I wanted to make her the happiest.

"Sinead, what are you doing here?" Ian asked.

Sinead pointed at me. "Talking to Jake here."

Ian motioned at Amy. "I was just holding her arm because she sort of got lost on the streets…"

I frowned. "Huh?"

"Apparently, dogs scare her." Ian glared at Amy, who squirmed in response. "We passed by a neighborhood where some bulldogs were tied to a lamppost. She ran away at the sight of them, and I spent hours searching for her. When I found her, to make sure she didn't escape, I grabbed her wrist."

I couldn't help but crack a smile, but Amy didn't seem to be happy by his clarification.

"Oh, I thought you two were out on a date," Sinead commented, taking a sip of her chocolate.

"Of course not, I don't date girls who are scared of dogs," Ian remarked, glaring once again at Amy.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, taking a seat next to me.

"Well, I'll be heading out," Sinead said, standing up. She smiled at Ian. "I just wanted to let you know that I joined the same contest as Jake's."

She gave me a glance.

"Better watch out your attitude," she warned Ian with a smirk before strutting out the café.

"I'll take you home!" Ian exclaimed after her. He scurried toward the door.

I could only sit there, quiet with shock. That… evil witch! She'd been trying to get out Ian's weak points all along to make sure she excelled in those.

"Is everything alright?" Amy asked.

I decided not to tell her. "Of course… what about you? I'm hoping our plan didn't go as bad as I think it did?"

Amy bit her lower lip. "It sucked."

* * *

I'm** SO SO SO SO SO** sorry for the delay. It's just that I've had so much schoolwork to do, and the only free time I've had I've spent it sleeping (haha). But here it is, I'm hoping you haven't forgotten of this story and enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

*_Faux_ mean _Fake_ (for the fashionistas out there, you might've already known) and _Stupide_ means _Stupid_ (big surprise there) in French. I sort of took advantage of this opportunity to let you know what I've always thought of Sinead by giving her such a last name. I also used those because...

**SHATTERPROOF SPOILER ALERT**

**SHATTERPROOF SPOILER ALERT**

**SHATTERPROOF SPOILER ALERT**

She did turned out to be fake, after all :3 And, OHMYGOD AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO'S FREAKING OUT OVER THE JAMY MOMENTS?! I'd already read some of them in the Amazon preview (muahahaha), but seeing them in the actual book made me squeal with joy! :D :D :D :D

**END OF SPOILER ALERT**

****Thanks for reading! See you next time :)


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